Works on the Coppet Hall to Wisemans Bridge beach-side coastal path, repeatedly hit by landslides since late 2023, has cost Pembrokeshire County Council nearly £700,000 to date, councillors have heard.

The coastal path near Saundersfoot and Wisemans Bridge, known as the Tramway, is currently closed after the latest landslides.

It is expected to remain so until the early summer, after a further fall happened towards the western end of the Wisemans Bridge to Coppet Hall cycleway, between the Coppet Hall and Wisemans Bridge tunnels, affecting access between Wisemans Bridge and Coppet Hall beach. The top path remains open.

The coastal path was previously closed after it experienced ‘substantial rock falls’ in late 2023 and early 2024, with substantial investment made by the council to reopen the route before the latest landslides.

A temporary prohibition order affecting access to the path was made by PCC late in February, expected to last some four months.

Saundersfoot’s county councillor Chris Williams said last month that there was ‘no timescale at present’ on when the coastal path would reopen.

“PCC know the importance of this path and hopefully we will be able to give you some more positive news in the weeks ahead,” said Cllr Williams.

“I am well aware of the importance of this path to the local communities. This path in 2023 was used by nearly a million individuals and the three local communities would have benefitted greatly from this.

At the March 6 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, a submitted question on the landslip-hit coastal path, made by Cllr Alan Dennison, was heard.

Cllr Dennison asked: “Could the Cabinet Member responsible for Highways provide information on the total expenditure incurred for the repair of the original landslip at Amroth including the projected costs for addressing the most recent landslip, and is the council pursuing reimbursement from the landowner and if not, why not?”

Responding, Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services Cllr Rhys Sinnett said costs associated with the original 2023/24 landslips amounted to £453,412, lower than the original estimates, with the costs of the more recent landslips currently amounting to some £235,000 to date.

On the question of reimbursement, he said: “The collapse of the cliff face is a natural occurrence rather than a deliberate action so therefore remedial costs will not be reasonable from the landowner,” the council having a duty to clear obstructions from the path as it was a right of way.

In a supplementary question, Cllr Dennison raised the issue of a long-term coastal path closure in his own area, Hakin Point, Milford Haven, asking if any remediation works work be done there.

Cllr Sinnett told members there was a legal duty to undertake works at the Wisemans path as falls had obstructed a public right of way, the Hakin path differing as its landslide had resulted in the loss of the majority of the path.

He said there was no possibility of requiring the owners of the Hakin path to restore it after its “act of God” loss.